


She Likes Girls

by livtontea



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (kind of sort of), Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Ben Hargreeves is Alive, Bisexual Character, Coming Out, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Nicknames, No Incest, Not Beta Read, Post-Apocalypse, Queer Vanya Hargreeves, Trans Character, Vanya gets a girlfriend, ah fuck it this counts as, but only one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 06:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20041096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livtontea/pseuds/livtontea
Summary: “I think she likes girls,” says Klaus, his chin propped up on one hand.





	She Likes Girls

**Author's Note:**

> Title from [She Likes Girls by Metro Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fymYFDiM0Q8)
> 
> This whole thing is inspired by that pretty much.

“I think she likes girls,” says Klaus, his chin propped up on one hand. Ben looks at him from the corner of his eye, not turning his head from the book he’s reading.

“What makes you think so?”

Klaus’s answer is a nod toward the cash register, where Vanya is bumbling her way through an interaction with the barista. A quite cute barista, might Klaus add. Not his type though.

“Oh.” Ben closes his book. “Yeah, I see it.”

“Man, what would the others say if they knew you were such a gossip?” teases Klaus.

“They’d freak. Which is why they don’t know,” says Ben. “Obviously.” And as an afterthought, he adds, “Don’t blow my cover.”

“Sure. But seriously. I think she likes girls.”

Ben squints at Vanya’s red face and awkward smile. The sister in question is visibly stumbling over her words. The barista she’s talking to, whose name starts with an “S”, Klaus can see on her name tag, has a hand covering her mouth. She’s laughing, clearly finding Vanya amusing.

Or cute.

The barista has a rainbow pin on her apron.

“Yeah,” decides Ben. “I think she does.”

The two wait for Vanya to finish stumbling through her order. Once she’s done, she walks back to the table, her face still colored with a light shade of pink.

“So,” says Klaus. “You into girls?”

Ben snorts and rolls his eyes, laughing at Klaus’s direct approach.

“What?” Vanya squeaks. “I, what makes you say that?”

Klaus raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t even hear what you were saying to that barista, but Vanya, no straight girl acts like that.”

When Vanya still looks embarrassed, Klaus’s face softens. “Hey, it’s cool. You know I won’t judge you, right?”

“Same,” adds Ben. “I mean, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. But we’re here for you, Vee.”

Vanya sighs. “Yeah. Yeah, I-- I like girls. Don’t tell the others yet. Please.”

“Dude, of course! It’s cool though, you can join me and Ben in the gay club. By which I mean most decidedly not heterosexual. Oh, and Diego. If you’re including trans in that category.”

“Nice save,” comments Ben, holding out his hand. Klaus slaps it. He then holds out his own hand to Vanya. She deserves that high-five, dammit.

Vanya snorts and weakly hits Klaus’s hand with her own. It’s a bit disappointing, but he’ll take what he can get.

Vanya gets called to pick up her order, and Klaus and Ben watch her blush when the barista’s fingers brush hers.

“That lady is definitely flirting,” Ben says, casual.

“Oh yeah, for sure. Nobody ever hands the customers the coffee.”

Diego isn’t straight.

Big surprise, yeah? He’s slept with guys.

(This is where the people he’s talking to will gasp in surprise, saying something like “Really? You don’t look it” or “I never would have guessed!” If it’s a bad day, then something along the lines of “Oh, so you’re… confused.” “So you’re gay?” Which… no. No to both of those.)

He’s bi. Yay him. It’s really no big deal. Who he sleeps with isn’t anybody’s business but his and the person he’s sleeping with.

But that’s beside the point. The thing is, he’s gotten pretty good at figuring out when others aren’t straight. Call it gaydar, bi-fi, pan-scan, he doesn’t care. Diego may not be the most intelligent sibling, but he’s pretty observant.

That’s why he’s waiting outside of Vanya’s apartment, hand raised, ready to knock. It’s just a hunch, but Vanya does not seem like a heterosexual.

They’ve all been trying to include Vanya more since the Not-Apocalypse, and Diego thinks they’ve been doing a pretty decent job. But after all, there’s nothing like some sexuality chats to get that sibling bonding going.

(Diego hasn’t ever really came out to anybody. He’s never seen the need. He just talks about his previous partners, and that’s that. If anybody has a problem with him, then whatever. He doesn’t owe them anything.

The one time he came out was to his family, and it wasn't about sexuality at all.)

He knocks.

“One second!” sounds from behind the closed door. Light footsteps approach Diego, and then the door swings open. Vanya looks surprised. “Oh,” she says. “Diego. Hey.”

“Hi,” Diego says. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Vanya steps to the side, pushing the door open wider. Diego walks in.

“Do you need anything?”

“No,” Diego says, walking over to her couch and sitting down. “I just came to talk.”

“Sounds intense.” Vanya sits down next to him. “What about?”

“Do you like girls?” Diego says, bluntly.

“Um.”

“No judgment. Just curious.”

Vanya laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. “You know, you’re technically the third person to ask me that.”

Diego raises an eyebrow. “Well is it true?”

“Yeah. I haven’t really… told anybody, though. Yet.”

“That’s cool. I’m bi, if it makes you feel better,” Diego informs her.

“Oh. Cool.”

They sit in silence a little bit.

“I don’t know what I am,” Vanya admits quietly. “I’ve just been using queer.”

“Van,” Diego says, serious. “You know that’s fine, right? Nobody’s gonna think less of you if you’re still figuring yourself you. Besides, just using queer is okay.”

Vanya snorts. “Thanks.” Then after a pause, “You know, you’re a good brother.”

“I’m flattered,” deadpans Diego. “But I think you’ve mixed me up with somebody else.”

“No, really. You’re not picture-perfect, but you’re a good brother.” Vanya bumps her shoulder against his. “Do you want to stay for lunch?”

Diego thinks it over. He doesn’t really have anywhere to be today. “Sure,” he says. “I’ve got time.”

When Vanya opens her door after coming home from rehearsal, Five is already waiting for her.

“Oh, Jesus,” she says hand tight around the handle of her violin case. “Stop scaring me like that.”

“That wasn’t in my intentions,” waves her off Five. He’s here with a purpose. “And you still didn’t lock your windows.” Then a bit clumsier, “I need your help.”

Vanya looks surprised, which is kind of rude. Sure, Five can admit that he has… trouble, asking for assistance, but he’s been working on it.

“Okay…? With what?”

Before Five can talk, she shakes her head. “Actually, I’m going to make some tea first. What kind do you want?”

“Coffee?”

“You know you have to cut back on caffeine, Five. What kind of tea?” she says, firm.

Five sighs. Stupid siblings worrying over his stupid thirteen-year-old body. “Raspberry,” he relents. “No sugar, please.”

“Great. Give me a minute.”

Five waits on the couch while Vanya bustles around her small kitchen boiling water and getting out tea bags. His leg is bouncing up and down with energy he will not admit is nervous.

“Here.” Vanya hands Five a steaming mug of tea, which he takes a small sip of. He wrinkles his nose once the liquid comes in contact with his tongue. It’s too hot. The mug is set down on the floor.

Vanya takes a large swig of her own tea, and Five wrinkles his nose in jealousy. He’s always been a little annoyed at his inability to consume hot things. Vanya’s mug is patterned with sheet music.

“Alright,” Vanya says, setting her tea down next to Five’s. “What’d you need my help with?”

Five takes a breath, even though he knows Vanya won’t judge him. Not too much, at least.

“I think I’m gay,” he blurts.

“Oh! Okay, that’s great!” Vanya smiles at him. “Do you need help with coming out? Because then I don’t think I’m the best person--”

“No.” Five shakes his head. “No, that’s not-- That’s not it. I just.” He stops, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wants to say. “I think I’m gay. Because I definitely don’t like women. But at the same time… I don’t think I like men either. I don’t know who I like.”

“Oh.” Vanya leans back into the couch. “Do you think you might not be attracted to anybody?”

“What?”

“You know. Maybe you just don’t like anybody like that.”

Five frowns. “Is that allowed?”

“Well, it’s not like there are rules to who you are. You just.” Vanya shrugs. “You just _are_. You know?”

“Then… Then yeah. Maybe. I don’t-- I don’t think I like anybody like. Like that.”

“So asexual,” nods Vanya. “That’s what-- That’s what that’s called. Of course, that’s just one label, there’s also demisexual, greysexual, um. Then you can also be aromantic--”

“Aromantic?” Five interjects.

“Oh, yeah. It means you don’t like anybody too, but romantically. So you could be aromantic and asexual at the same time.”

“Oh.”

Five goes quiet. Vanya doesn’t say anything else, waiting for him to speak.

“I-- Yeah. I think I’m that. What did you call it?”

“Aromantic asexual. Aroace.”

“I’m aroace,” Five says. He grins. “Thank you, Vanya.”

“Oh, no problem. I just-- Why did you come to me? I mean, I don’t think I’m the best person for this kind of stuff.”

“Because you like girls,” Five says bluntly.

Vanya’s mouth falls open. She blinks.

“Oh,” Five says, suddenly awkward. “Am I wrong?”

A short laugh finds its way out of Vanya’s throat. “No, no you're not, it’s just. I haven’t told anybody. Like, at all. But you’re the fourth one to know, which is… weird? How did you know?”

Five shrugs. “I know you,” he explains.

“Well,” snorts Vanya, getting up from the couch and scooping her mug up from the ground. “Now that we’re all done revealing our orientations, do you want to watch a movie?”

Five stands up too, taking his now-cool cup of tea into his hands and taking a sip. It’s finally drinkable. “Why not,” he tells Vanya. “I’m not watching any romcoms though.”

“Never would have thought otherwise.”

Vanya has a concert.

It’s the first one since the Incident. (Allison refuses to call it the Not-Apocalypse.) Vanya is playing first chair, for real this time. And Allison is going to help her pick out clothes.

Of course, Vanya is only made aware of this when Allison bursts into her apartment, with a wild look on her face.

“Into your bedroom!” she near shouts at Vanya. Vanya doesn’t look too pleased at being dragged away from her book, but she’s just going to have to deal with it.

“Okay. Where are your fancy clothes.”

“In the back of my closet,” Vanya says as she sits down on her bed.

Allison immediately dives in.

“So you’re wearing a suit, right?”

Vanya hums is confirmation.

“Okay, so I think plain black would be good, and possibly black shoes? Do you have black dress shoes?”

“Allison, I’ve had concerts before. I own an outfit.”

Allison rolls her eyes, holding up a suit jacket and examining it. “Yeah, but we need to make you look perfect, Van. Trust me, once I’m done with you, all the girls will be fawning over you.”

“The guys too, of course, and--” Allison realizes Vanya has fallen into silence. “Vanya? Are you good?”

Vanya stares up at Allison. She blinks.

“Say that again?”

“I’m gonna make you look perfect?”

“No, uh, after that.”

“All the girls will be fawning over you?”

“Yeah.” Vanya bites her lip. “That.”

Allison blinks. “Well I mean if you’re not into girls then just the guys, but I was pretty sure--”

“No! I mean, I am. Into girls. But…” Vanya runs a hand through her hair. “How? How does everybody keep guessing?”

Allison laughs, turning back to the closet. “Oh Vanya, I’m bi as fuck. My gaydar is in tip-top condition.”

“I guess.”

“Who else knew?”

“Uh.” Vanya starts counting on her fingers. “Well, Klaus and Ben. Diego. Five. And then you.”

“Not Luther? Why haven’t you come out to him? I mean, not that I’m judging. Go at your own pace.”

Vanya sighs, falling backward so she’s laying down. “I didn’t come out to anybody.”

“What? Seriously?”

Vanya laughs. She sounds tired, all of a sudden. “Yeah. Everybody just… knew.”

“You know that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, right? I mean, I never really came out either. It just sort of… happened.”

“...Thanks, Allie.”

“No prob,” chirps Allison. “Now stand up, I need to see how this looks on you.”

“It’s literally the exact same suit I wore last time,” complains Vanya. She stands up anyway. Allison grins.

“Yeah,” she says. “Everybody’s going to be tripping over themselves to get to you.”

Luther sits in his room, examining a box of pins. He’d found it at a thrift store, just a box of miscellaneous pins with different slogans and sayings on them. One of the pins is already attached to his shirt.

An enamel astronaut helmet with capital letters spelling out “space” in the visor. “Ace” is colored in black, grey, white, and purple.

There are more. A simple button with the words “rainbow sheep” on it. One in the shape of a ribbon, saying “it’s my birthday, and I’m gay.” There are pins that are just flags, and pins that have words on them. One has a pink-yellow-blue rainbow, and in the same colors is written “I’m pansexual, so I’m nervous around everybody.”

“How DARE you presume I’m heterosexual.” “Bi.” “Bee yourself.” “Trans rights!” “Bisexy.” “Demiboy.” “They/Them.” “He/Him.” “Not your girl.” “Gender is a social construct.” “Move, I’m gay.” “Nonbinary.” “Watch out! This trans guy has a gun!” “Love is Love.” “Fuck the cis-tem.” “LGBT.rex.” “Girls.”

Luther smiles.

He rubs his fingers across the smooth surface of his own pin. It’s nice. To be able to wear it without fearing somebody will tell him it’s not allowed.

He should put these downstairs, he thinks. So everybody can take what they want. There’s a lot of pins, enough for each of them to have multiple.

Yeah. He can put these in a glass jar in the kitchen. Luther carefully scoops all of the pins into the box, making sure none are falling out. He stands, taking the box with him.

As soon as he’s out the door, he bumps into somebody and the pins go clattering to the ground.

“Shit,” Vanya hisses. “Luther, I’m sorry. Here, let me just--”

“No, no, you’re fine.” They’re both picking up pins off the ground, putting them back in the box. Vanya frowns at one of them, a rainbow flag with a smiley face on it.

“Luther, are these…?”

Shit. Luther hadn’t even considered this.

“Yeah. Yeah, uh, I thought I could put them downstairs? So everybody could have them.”

“Oh,” Vanya says. “That’s… that’s really cool, Luther. Is it okay if I--?”

Luther looks down at the pin she’s holding. “Oh. Do you want it?”

“Yeah.” They’ve picked up all the pins now. Luther and Vanya are standing across from each other in the hallway, Luther holding the box of pride pins and Vanya clutching the single one. “Could I keep it?”

“Of course. That’s what they’re for, anyway. Do you want to help me find a jar?”

Vanya nods. “Sure.”

On their way down the stairs, Luther asks, “So what do you use?”

“What?”

“A label? Do you have one? I mean, I’ve got.” He taps the pin on his shirt. “Yeah.”

“Oh. No, I don’t. I just. Queer.”

Luther nods. “Can I have that pin back?”

Vanya deflates. She’s frowning, clearly confused. “Here,” she says meekly as she hands over the pin.

Luther drops it back into the box. He starts sifting through the pins, because he knows it was there, just a minute ago. He pulls out a pin shaped like a Play-Doh container.

“Here. This one works better, I think.”

Vanya takes the pin from Luther's hands, looking at it in awe. “It’s perfect,” she says. “Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it. I still need your help finding a jar.”

Vanya chuckles, already pinning the “Queer-Doh” pin to her shirt.

“Hey!”

Vanya turns around from where she was looking at a row of books. Sadie the Barista is approaching her.

“Oh,” Vanya says. “Hey.”

Sadie grins. “Hi, Vanya! That’s your name, right?”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s me.” Vanya fiddles with the end of her sleeve. “And… You’re Sadie, right? Was there something you needed?”

Sadie’s face goes red. She laughs awkwardly, still grinning. “Yeah, I um. God, this is so awkward, I’m sorry. But do you…? Are you into girls?”

Vanya’s mouth drops open into an “o.” That’s… unexpected, but definitely not unwelcomed.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am. Why?”

Sadie laughs again. “Could I have your number?”

Vanya feels her face grow warm. “Yeah. Here, just--” She holds out her hand. Sadie makes a small squeak of embarrassment, fishing out her phone from her pocket and opening it to her contacts.

“Oh god, I’m so awkward, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re fine,” assures her Vanya as she types her number and her name into Sadie’s phone.

“Okay,” she says. “Here.”

“Thank you!” Sadie presses a couple of buttons and Vanya’s phone pings in her pocket. “I texted you so you’d have my number too.”

Vanya laughs. As she pulls out her phone to look at her new message, her eyes land on the time. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, I have to go. My brother is waiting for me, I’m supposed to take him to his art class.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you around then. Text me!”

“I will,” Vanya tells her as she’s walking toward the book shop door. “Goodbye!”

Sadie waves energetically. Vanya waves back.

On her way to pick up Five from the Academy, Vanya checks her phone.

**Unknown**  
Do you have any figs?  
If not, then how about a date?

Vanya snorts, and adds the number to her contacts as “Sadie.”

**Author's Note:**

> Now normally I don't ship canon characters with OC's but I made Sadie up in like 5 seconds and I love her.
> 
> Umm I've never dated anybody so if that's not how flirting works I'm sorry I guess? Also, you can pry my headcanons from my cold dead hands. (Ben didn't get a pov because I'm lazy with my writing, sorry about that too. I love him though, don't doubt that.)
> 
> Most of the pins are real, I don't have links because I literally just used google images I'm sorry. Vanya's mug is also real, I own it and it's great. 
> 
> EDIT: The format was really bugging me, so I went back and fixed it so the spaces between lines aren't humongous.
> 
> I'm on tumblr [@seven-misfits](https://seven-misfits.tumblr.com/), come talk to me there if you want. Please leave comments, I want to know what you liked! :)


End file.
